I just came back from lunch with Non and his oh-so-cute niece, Bella. I work right smack in the middle of a pretty nifty downtown area, so we decided to go to a deli for lunch and walk around afterward.

As I walked out of the office and toward them, Bella was playing too intently to notice me. When she finally did, her face exploded into a smile, and she started running toward me with her little arms out saying, �minired!� (though it actually sounded more like, �manawah!�, but I can decode my own name.) It was just so damn cute! *sigh* As much as I try to avoid wanting kids, my ovaries just won�t have it. They act like a maternal compass whenever I�m in range of a toddler with a diaper waddle.

Can I just say it�s Friday? The answer is, yes, I most certainly can; therefore, I will again. IT�S FRIDAY! I�m so happy about it. This morning after the alarm went off, I lay in bed as I worked up the energy to move. I guess I was there a while, because Non eventually nudged me.

Non: Are you getting up to exercise?

Me: Yeah. Are you?

Non: I�m gonna do it this afternoon.

(Non is a teacher, and he�s still off work until Monday. Lucky bastard.)

I lay there a few more minutes to think about why I always find the most comfortable sleeping position the second after I�ve turned off my alarm. Finally, I realize, it�s now or never. If I get up now, I�ll still have time to exercise, shower, and not be totally rushed. But if I stay in bed, I�ll either have to forgo exercise, or a shower, or not being rushed.

I rolled over to give Non one last squeeze before relenting to the day.

Me: Please tell me that we don�t have anything going on tomorrow until at least the afternoon.

Non: Nothing that I know of.

Me: So, we can stay in bed �til noon if we want?

Non: Uh huh.

That was all the incentive I needed to throw off those covers and start my day. Non, meanwhile, stayed in bed and slept a bit more � he�s still on vacation, after all. He was up and making me breakfast by the time I got out of the shower, and before I left, Bella was dropped off by her mom, Non�s sister (Bella�s regular babysitter is on vacation this week, so Non is watching her today while he�s on vacation, too).

Before she left for work, she went through the diaper bag and its thousand compartments while giving Non some instructions � diapers, sippy cups, extra clothes, etc. Bella waited patiently for them to finish talking, and she went straight up to Non.

Bella: Mahna sink!

Non: (pointing to the kitchen) No, that�s not Mama�s sink, that�s MY sink.

Bella stared at him blankly, trying to comprehend what Non was going on about. Finally, she went to the diaper bag and started rifling around in it. Soon, she pulled out the dvd �Monster�s Inc.� and held it up to Non.

Bella: Mahna sink!

Non and I both have yet to learn to speak toddler. All along I thought she was saying, �Ganja stinks!� and I was going to commend her parents on their fervent, albeit early, anti-drug message.